In times of disease people in the Western world would often turn to beer to see them through these tough times. Beer may be the most popular alcoholic beverage in the best of times, but when we look through history some of our most revered figures were those who ensured beer was available during the worst of times.

It is a common fact among historians, archeologists, and scientists studying the history of humanity that beer has a very important meaning. It was used as medicine not only for the body but oftentimes for the spirit. Beer was making people healthier, and immune to infections, and had a relaxing and nutritious impact on those who drank it.

Beers of the Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia

In the ancient world, early civilizations were constantly dealing with things like famine and disease. And beer was a major lifeline for them. Men, women, and children all drank beer in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. As it was considered a great source of nutrition and not just some intoxicant. To be sure ancient beers were significantly different and arguably much more nutritious than modern brews. First of all, they were using whole and unmalted grains which lent most of if not all of their nutritional value to the final beer.

They also didn’t filter any of their brews. Meaning they got all the nutritional value from the yeast that fermented the beer as well. Today it’s becoming increasingly popular to add nutritional yeast to things like protein and health shakes. But ancient people got all those benefits simply by drinking unfiltered beers full of natural yeast.

Perhaps most important was how the ancient brewers flavored their beers. Today we use hops as the main flavoring agent which brings a clean bitter balance and slight antiseptic qualities to the final product. A couple of thousand years ago they had to use whatever herbs and spices they had at hand to add some extra taste. But this also added extra vitamins and anti-inflammatory compounds. This made beer an important immune system booster and sometimes even helpful for fighting specific diseases.

Beer was frequently prescribed in medical texts in Ancient Egypt. Over one hundred recipes for medicine have been discovered that include beer as one of the ingredients. Beer was also thought to confuse evil spirits which were thought to cause many diseases. Causing these spirits to become perplexed and disoriented and ultimately leave the body.

While much of this sounds like a lot of superstition mixed with a very rudimentary understanding of medicine. We have the archeological evidence today to suggest that they really knew what they were doing. While analyzing some mummified Nubian remains scientists found high levels of tetracycline in the bones themselves. Tetracycline is an antibiotic rediscovered in 1948 that is used for treating various infections like cholera, malaria, and syphilis. Interestingly a previous study confirmed the existence of a bacteria streptomyces in ancient Nubian beers which produces a lot of tetracycline. Along with writing the Nubians and Egyptians believed that beer was the cure for things like gum disease and other infectious ailments. The ancient world knew quite well what they were doing when it came to treating disease with nutritious beer.

The patron of beer

Fast forwarding at least a thousand years medieval Europe hadn’t built much upon the traditional understanding of medicine that the ancient world had. But they sure did build on their brewing knowledge. As the dominant institution of the age, the Catholic Church controlled the majority of beer and brewing on the European mainland a the time. So when disease reared its ugly head people turned to their local religious leaders for advice.

One such leader was Arnold of Soissons, the abbot of the Abbey of St. Peter in Oudenburg in the west of Belgium. He was a soldier who retired to a quiet life as a religious hermit in his hometown monastery. But as a natural leader, he eventually found his way to the rank of bishop. Arnold didn’t like all the infighting amongst the bishops and greatly preferred the monk’s life. So he founded and became the first abbot of the Abbey of St. Peter.

It was there that he discovered his true passion for brewing beer. Which was considered the gift of health due to its spent yeast content and low levels of alcohol. The level of alcohol was the perfect level to provide mild feelings of relaxation without compromising your hydration and the yeast provided a lot of vitamin B which is important for metabolism and the general health of oneself. When disease struck Oudenburg Arnold highly recommended that the people stop drinking their dirty sources of water and graciously provided the town with plenty of beer from his monastery. The town fared so much better than the surrounding communities that he is widely recognized for brewing great medicine.

His story was so famous that he was made an official saint after his death. And is the patron saint of beer and brewers today. And while medieval Europe showed us that beer can change the course of an outbreak of disease this era of history also showed us how disease can change the course of beer.

Beer and first pubs

After the UK was ravaged by the Black Plaque in the 15th century wages on the island nation grew by 250%. This unfortunate economic reality was that as more of people of the working age passed away the price of labor grew as that supply shrank. Traditionally brewing beer was a cottage industry. Domestic tasks, that fell on women like cooking, cleaning and baking in the context of medieval gender roles. But because money was so good working outside of the home many women spent less time on their domestic tasks during this period.

But demand for ale never truly drops in England. So those women who still dedicated their time to brewing began to do a lot more of it. UK historians say this is how the first pubs or public houses began to be established. Women who specialized in brewing beer would open their homes so that their neighbors had a place to enjoy a pint or two without having to brew it themselves.

John Snow and the cholera outbreak

In 1854 London’s Soho district was being ravaged by a cholera outbreak. At the time most people thought disease spread from person to person via bad air. Not a terrible starting theory. But physician John Snow wanted to track down a definitive cause. His first move was to plot each case on a map of an infected district. He then combined his map with a map of London’s water system and noticed that all the cases were centered around certain water pumps. Most notably for Soho, the Broad Street pump.

This led Snow to theorize that water was what carried the infection and not the air. But he needed more evidence to prove his theory. So when he visited the area and surveyed those who lived there he found that everyone was getting sick except those who were drinking more beer than they were water. This confirmed that those who drank a lot of treated and processed beer weren’t getting infected while their less beer-inclined friends were contracting cholera at an alarming rate.

Thanks to the survey of beer drinkers John Snow’s theory gained quick acceptance and many lives were saved. It wasn’t until the late 1900s that researchers found the exact reason why. Drinking beer actually stimulates the production of gastric acid which kills cholera infections before it can find its way fully into one’s bloodstream. So it seems that in some cases even more modern beer can have some strange medical benefits.